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STATE COLLEGE - There's only one football, and Kyle Carter knows where it's going.

Last season, the Penn State tight end was his team's second-leading receiver, in both receptions and yards. This season, he's like almost every other receiver on his team. Almost an afterthought, when compared with Allen Robinson.

Another Saturday came and went, and the junior wideout had another performance that would have been considered a career day for any of his teammates. In a 24-17 overtime win over Illinois at Beaver Stadium, Robinson caught 11 passes for 165 yards. His 16-yard catch late in the fourth quarter, a leaping grab that put Penn State in position to take the lead, looked like the typical circus catch in a clutch situation he has become known for around the nation.

Combined, the six other Penn State receivers who caught a pass had nine receptions. Not one of them had more than two individually.

At a position that typically is filled with players clamoring for more touches, there's a reluctant acceptance among Penn State receivers that they're simply living in Robinson's world.

"You can't even get mad," Carter smiled. "He always has 150 yards."

The Penn State game plan proved to be a simple one against the Illini: Get the ball to the best playmakers, and hope they take over the game.

In fact, the Nittany Lions played more than 17 minutes of game action before someone besides Robinson or running back Bill Belton touched the ball. Robinson had five catches in the first quarter alone, and he even rushed for 14 yards.

"Nothing really surprises me with Allen," coach Bill O'Brien said. "He's got a great poise about him. He doesn't get frustrated. He plays every play. He is very competitive in practice, which I think really helps him be the player he is. He practices every day. He practices with a sore hamstring. He practices with bumps and bruises, and I think that's why he means a lot to our team."

Robinson has made his reputation on hauling in some of the deep passes - like the one that set up the game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation against Michigan - seen on the highlight reels.

But Saturday, he did most of his damage on shorter passes, ones he caught off the line and took through defenses for big gains.

At 6-foot-3, his maneuverability in traffic has been one of his most impressive traits, and some scouts believe it could make him a first-round pick in next year's NFL Draft, should he choose to make himself eligible.

He is on target to graduate from Penn State next summer.

For Robinson, that knack for cutting through defenses is something he has developed during his time at Penn State, through plenty of repetitions during practice.

"I'm just trying to read the guys' blocks, let those big guys get downfield and clear some space for me," he said. "It's just being patient. Sometimes, you get out in front of your blocks, and you're going nowhere. But stay patient, and that will get you where the play is designed to go. The line does a great job getting out in front and getting some blocks for me."

Like Carter suggested, the Nittany Lions' passing game isn't as well-balanced as it is in the past. But nobody seems to care.

Not with Robinson producing the way he is, so consistently.

He'll continue to be the focus of the gameplan.

"We put Allen in positions to get the ball in the open field," quarterback Christian Hackenberg said. "That's just offensive football. You put your best players in position to make plays."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com On Twitter: @psubst

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